The True Test
by OwlGirl517
Summary: It was a mistake. An accident. Neither of them expected this to happen at the age of seventeen and fifteen but now Frank and Hazel have to put their relationship to the biggest test of their life, to accept or deny parenthood. *****Mortal AU*****
1. Chapter 1

Hazel waited anxiously for her boyfriend, Frank, to come over. They've been dating a little bit over a year now and she loved every second with him.

Frank was very sweet and kind to her, even if there was a two year gap between them. He always treated her like a princess even when she didn't want it. It was a great gesture but sometimes Hazel had to do things on her own.

Just like she did twenty minutes ago. Her hands were sweaty and her body was trembling as she thought about what was going to happen when Frank walked through that door. The worst case scenario kept popping up in her head, but she tried to shake it off. Frank would never hurt her in that way.

Thankfully, no one was home. Her older half brother, Nico, was at work and her father wouldn't be home until dinner. Until then, Hazel had the whole place to herself which is exactly what she wanted.

She was lost in her thoughts as she tried to figure out the best way to present the situation, but ultimately it relied on Frank. Then the doorbell rang, causing her to jump.

She got up and went to the door, making sure it was him first, then answering it. Just seeing him caused her dread and happiness at the same time.

"Hey." Frank sounded concerned. "You sounded nervous on the phone. What's wrong?"

"Why don't you come inside first and then we can talk?" She opened the door wider for him to pass through.

He walked in, taking off his shoes at the door, before heading to the couch. Hazel walked behind him, trying to hide her worries.

"Hazel, what's wrong?" Frank stressed. "You don't look too good. Are you sick?"

She sat down on the couch and Frank followed suit. He took her hand. His eyes were full of concern as Hazel was trying her hardest not to cry and let the tears fall before they should.

She looked down at the floor, too scared to look him straight in the eyes when she whispered, "I'm pregnant."

They were both quiet. All they could hear was their breathing and the air conditioning turning on when the house temperature reached above seventy-two degrees.

Hazel looked up from the floor, tears clouding her vision as she looked at Frank to see how he was feeling about this. He had a puzzled expression on his face but his eyes showed his true emotions; confusion, fear, anger, nervousness.

"Frank?" Hazel croaked.

He looked at her, trying to figure out what to say. "P-Pregnant?"

Hazel nodded. "I was late and I haven't been feeling good for the past couple of days. I got worried and took two home pregnancy tests and they both read positive. I even doubled checked."

"But, we were so careful. I bought a brand new box!"

"Maybe there was a hole that we didn't notice." Hazel told him. "Or something we overlooked."

Frank gently pulled his hand away so he could run both of them over his short cropped hair. He looked a lot like how she felt; scared out of her mind.

"What are we going to do?" She asked. "Are we going to keep it? Put it up for adoption? Have an...you know?"

He looked at her right in the eyes and said the three words Hazel didn't want to hear, "I don't know."

She stared at him as she started to break. All the emotions she tried to keep pent up while she took the pregnancy tests by herself and waited for him to come finally showed. She cried into her hands, terrified that their lives were now ruined because of one mistake. One mistake that they made a couple of weeks ago on their one year anniversary.

Hazel felt the couch move as Frank moved to hug her. She buried her face into the crook of his neck and wrapped her arms around him. Her shirt was damp from their tears. They were two terrified teenagers who messed up.

They didn't know how long they stayed like that. All that Hazel knew is that when they finally pulled away, their eyes were bloodshot and their cheeks were stained with tears. Frank got up to get them water, but he didn't touch his cup.

"Maybe we should sleep on it." Frank told her, his voice thick from crying. "This is all too much right now to think straight."

She nodded, not trusting her voice. Even after taking a huge drink, she didn't want to risk crying again.

His phone went off and Hazel could see it pained him to look at who was calling. He took a deep breath and answered it.

"Yes grandma, I'll be home soon. Bye." He said with much confidence, like he wasn't crying a minute ago. But once he hung up, he was back to looking as terrible as he was before. "I got to go. My grandma wants me home."

"Do you have to? Now?" Hazel's voice cracked in different places. She didn't want him to leave. She wanted him to stay and hold her and tell her that things were going to be alright.

"I don't want to go, but I need to before I get an earful later. I'll text you later, okay. We can figure out what to do." He said. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too." She whispered.

Frank got up and went to the door. He slid on his shoes before heading to his car.


	2. Chapter 2

Frank walked into his house. He could hear his grandma cooking dinner in the kitchen. Probably some Chinese dish that he had hundreds of times and a little sick of. But that's what happens when you're raised by your grandmother, she cooks what she knows.

"Grandma, I'm home." He called, trying to head up the stairs before she could see his face. In the car he tried his best to make himself look more presentable. His eyes weren't as red anymore, but his cheeks were still stained.

"Fai! That isn't the way to greet your grandmother!" She called.

"My stomach isn't feeling good. I'll be down in a bit." He lied as he ran up the stairs.

Frank headed into the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror. The only person he recognized looking back at him was the Frank after he found out his mother died. A broken Frank. But this time, it wasn't just his pain, there was Hazel to think about.

Hazel, the girl who helped him in more ways that he could think of. If it wasn't for her, he would be...well he wasn't sure, but it wouldn't be where he is now and maybe in a worse situation.

Before dating Hazel, the death of his mom was too great for him. She was his only parent, his deadbeat dad wasn't around, never heard from except for a check on his birthday which he put towards his college fund. If his father wasn't going be around, might as well use his money to help pay for his education.

The death of his mother caused his grandma to move the two of them to California from Canada. She could tell that he was miserable living in a house that only reminded him of mother. They were still in the process of becoming citizens, but at least he wasn't haunted by the emptiness of his own home. It was the only compassion he saw from his grandma, but he could tell that she wasn't doing well either.

Moving only helped so much. Getting use to life in California was another struggle altogether. He had to get use to the American schooling system, the new neighborhood, and make new friends. It just felt too much for him. He needed to get his mind off of everything that was happening. That only happened when he did archery, something he did back when his mother was still alive.

He would set up targets in his backyard and use the old bow and arrow set he clearly outgrew years ago. His grandma got a new set for him, a real nice one, for his birthday. He was grateful and thanked her but it was only a temporary happiness. After a few months in California, his grandma seemed to adjust well, but he didn't.

His grandma would tell him, "Cheer up Fai. Zhang men don't mope around all day." Loving words, coming from her, but it did nothing for him.

It wasn't until the power went out one day while he was doing school work in his room. He was just a robot at this point; wake up, get ready for school, go to school, come home, homework, dinner, bed, repeat. The only change in his routine today was to light candles so he could finish his math homework. The only candles he could find were those old ones, basically just the candle with a little base to catch the wax. He didn't realize that his hand got close to the candle until wax dripped on his hand. After pulling away his hand, he carefully pulled off the wax. The moment of pain went away and all that was left was a small mark.

As he picked the little bits, he could just think that he was just a burden to his grandma. She was almost eighty five and she was taking care of a teenager. She should be retired and do whatever old Chinese women do. Play mahjong with other old women? Probably anything that wasn't taking care of teenage boy. Then he thought about his mom, which just made him want to cry like he did months ago.

It wasn't until two hours later he realized he purposely let the hot wax drip on him so he couldn't think about all of that. He would focus on the pain until he forgot what he was thinking about. He knew he couldn't do anything to his arms, chest, or legs, his grandma would notice almost instantly. So, he would burn and drip wax on his thighs. His shorts stopped by his knees and his grandma was too modest to look anywhere from his hips to his knees.

This didn't stop until he started dating Hazel. It took months for him to stop, four months into their relationship he was trying to convince himself to stop. Being around her so often helped him. It didn't give him a chance to hurt himself if she was near by. She slowly and unknowingly help him wean off hurting himself. By the time they hit their one year anniversary, he had stopped completely. There were still slight marks on his thighs but he didn't think Hazel would notice.

"Fai!" His grandma called, snapping him out of the daze he was in. "Dinner is ready! Make sure you wash your hands after you're done with your business."

"Yes grandma!" He called back.

He flushed the toilet for effect and turned on the sink to run the cold water. Splashing the cold water on his face brought the reality of the situation back to him. He was going to be a dad at seventeen, well, eighteen by the time the baby was born. He was going to college in the fall, at least that was the plan. His and Hazel's future wasn't set either, they were young and who knows how possibility of long distance was going to affect them.

"Fai!" His grandma called again, and this time there was anger in her voice. "Your dinner is getting cold!"

"Coming!" He looked back at his face. It could be a lot worse, but he knew his grandma would take one look at him and know something was wrong.

Taking a deep breath, he left the bathroom and went downstairs to face his grandma. He tried to ignore her as he sat at the table, filling up his plate even though he wasn't hungry. He thought filling up his plate, making everything seem normal wouldn't make his grandma suspicious.

"How was school, Fai?" She asked.

"Alright. Nothing new, just boring old school stuff." He replied, forcing food into his mouth.

"So why were you crying?" She asked. "Is it that Hazel girl? Did she make you cry?"

"Grandma!" Frank looked at her, trying to control the emotions that were bubbling up inside of him again. "She wouldn't do that to me."

"Then what happened?" She looked at him, trying to read her grandson.

"We watched a sappy romance movie and one of the scenes got to me. I'm fine." He put more food in his mouth so he couldn't answer her questions.


	3. Chapter 3

Hazel laid curled up in her bed. Her favorite ruby colored fleece blanket was closest to her while her sheet and comforter was on top of the blanket. She made herself small, trying to hide from her reality. From becoming a mom.

She could barely remember her own mother. She died when Hazel was five from a heart attack. So she was sent to her closest living relative, her dad. Up until then, her mom never talked about him much. She didn't know why until a couple of years ago.

Her dad, Hades di Angelo, had a family before meeting her mom. He had a wife, a daughter, and a son on the way. Once his son, Nico, was born, the stress of being a dad of two children was taking a toll on him. So one night, a few months after Nico was born, when he was out at a bar and met Hazel's mom. Nine months later, Hazel was born.

Hazel never met Nico's sister or mother. They died in a car crash right before Hazel was brought into their lives. Nico didn't like her at first, his six year old mind thought she was going to replace his older sister. She would never do that. His older sister was someone too special to him.

They did end up getting close though. Nico learned how to take over the role of big brother. It seemed more natural now than at the beginning where he ignored her. Nico would take care of her when she needed it. He especially stood up for her when bullies made fun of her.

It is shocking for most people when they say they're half siblings, since the color of their skin is very different; Nico had olive skin tone and Hazel's was more like milk chocolate.

There was a knock on her door and she poked her head through the blankets. Her cheeks were stained with tears and her eyes were now pink.

"Who is it?" She asked, her voice steady for the first time all night.

"It's me." Nico's voice replied. "Can I come in?"

"Yes." She went back under her blankets, trying to calm herself. There was going to be a talk and she needed to mentally prepare herself.

Nico walked in, seeing his sister huddled under layers of bedding in the position he likes to call "the turtle" since she looks like a turtle shell.

"What's wrong?" He asked automatically. He knew when Hazel goes into "the turtle", there was always something wrong.

"You have to pinkie swear not to tell." She said solemnly, sticking out her left hand with her pinkie up.

"Hazel, I don't know. Last time we pinkie swore...it almost didn't end well." He reminded her.

Hazel remembered the last time they pinkie swore, she was twelve and Nico was thirteen. He told her about his depression he was fighting for years without telling their dad. How he was going to go out that night and never come home. She got scared, and she wanted to tell her dad, but they pinkie swore on it. She broke it anyways once Nico left the house, saving Nico's life in the process. Their dad wasn't furious with him at all, just relieved that he was okay and got him the proper help he needed.

"It's going to break anyways once I figure out how to tell dad." She said, her voice muffled by all the blankets.

The bed sank a bit and Nico's hand was on her back, rubbing it. Hazel took a shaky breath. She needed someone's advice on what to do. Nico was always level headed with her, she could trust him.

She felt Nico's pinkie wrap around hers. Taking a deep breath she stuck her head out and looked up at her brother in the eyes. "I'm pregnant."

Looking into Nico's eyes she could see him go through three emotions; shock, worry, anger. They were on repeat until he figured out something to say to her.

"Frank and I, we, um, we celebrated on our one year anniversary. We were super careful! But, uh, our best guess is that the c-condom we used was defective and we didn't know it." She whispered. "And, well, I'm terrified Neeks. Frank is too. We messed up and we don't know what to do. When I told him, we just-t cried for a half hour." Her voice shook.

"Hazel, you're fifteen. Having a baby this young...and he's going to college in the fall."

"I know. I know. It makes everything more complicated." She told him. "I can't stop Frank from going to college. He's been looking all over for a good college. And, I mean, who knows if we were going to make it once he- he left, even though I'm hoping we would. But it's just that...this baby is going to force him to stay and I don't want that for him."

Tears began to fall and she couldn't help it. Just thinking about the future made her sick. What if she and Frank decided to have the baby? What if he goes to school far away? What if they break up? Then what? Could she handle being a single mom?

Nico helped her up and pulled her into a hug. "It's going to be okay Hazel. You have me and I'll support you no matter what."

She just nodded and buried her face into his shoulder, trying not to face him. She had to look like a mess. She had been almost non-stop crying since she told Frank. This was eating her up.

She held onto her brother until the tears ran out. Her throat hurt from dehydration. Her eyes stung. There was a pounding headache and she just wanted to pass out. Forget that this ever happened. Forget that she was pregnant. Just forget.


	4. Chapter 4

The weekend came a lot slower than the two of them wanted. During school they would talk about anything except the baby. They did that for two reasons; one, there were too many people around at school and they needed to keep it a secret, and two, they still needed time to think.

Hazel texted Frank that he should come over on Friday after school so they could talk. She said she would would meet him at his car. Her eyes scanned the sea of students, walking to the bus or, if they were a senior, to their car. She saw some of their friends filtering out of school and she didn't want to talk to them. She needed to focus on what she wanted to do about this baby.

All week she was teetering between keeping it or putting it up for adoption. Abortion...well she didn't think it was right for her. She had read up on how women felt after having an abortion. How some of them regretted it while others didn't. She didn't want to have an abortion and regret it. Maybe a different family would love her baby, or maybe she would.

Finally, Frank came into view and a tiny smile graced her face. Just seeing him made her feel just the tiniest bit better. He was the light that brightened her day even if he helped cause the problem at hand.

He walked over to her and gave her a gentle kiss before unlocking the car. He opened the passenger side door before going to the driver's side. They barely spoke as Frank drove, both knowing what would happen when they arrived at Hazel's.

"Will Nico be home?" Frank asked as he pulled in the driveway.

"No, he's going to to his friend's house." She replied. "He'll be home for dinner, though."

He nodded and killed the engine. They got out of the car and walked to the front door, their hearts pounding as they got closer to the discussion of the evening.

They went up to Hazel's room and sat on her bed. Frank took her hand and rubbed circles on the back on her hand with his thumb, waiting for someone to say something. Neither spoke for about two minutes.

"I think we should either keep it or put it up for adoption." Hazel told him, breaking the silence. "I don't think abortion would be best for me. And maybe our minds will change after the initial shock is over. And if not...maybe there's a family out there that will love them."

"I don't know about keeping it, Hazel. I don't know where I'm going in the fall. And what if I go across the country? I can't help you raise a baby from the east coast. I can't let you be a single mom while I'm gone for months."

"You're thinking too far ahead."

"I'm thinking realistically." He refuted. "I'll be with you through your pregnancy but when the end of August comes around, I'll be in school. I don't even know where I want to go yet."

"Then what about adoption?" Hazel said.

"Most mothers get attached to their baby since they've been carrying them for nine months. And if they do give them away, the mother can develop depression and feel regret because they love their child." He recited as if he was reading from a pamphlet. "I don't think you'll be able to handle that if you carry our baby for nine months. You don't see abortion as an option either because you think you might regret it."

"So you want to keep it?" Hazel was trying to get a straight answer from him. She knew the risks of the two options. But she wanted to know what Frank wanted to do. "Tell me what you want because those are my two options that I've been debating."

Frank took a deep breath, not sure how to tell her what he was thinking. That all week he's been back and forth through the three options. At first he thought abortion would be best. He and Hazel could live their lives out without the burden of a kid, which could force them to stay together. But then what if Hazel didn't want that? He wouldn't force her to get one, he's not evil. Next he thought about adoption. They were young and couldn't afford to raise a child, even if they had help. Maybe there was a family out there who would love and support it financially the way they can't. But would Hazel go through with it? What if they found a couple who wanted a baby desperately and all of a sudden they couldn't give the baby to the family because Hazel got too attached? Then they would have a legal mess on their hands. And what if they couldn't find a couple? Foster care and orphanages mess some kids up. Finally, he thought about keeping the baby. He would be a dad. He didn't know how to be a dad since he had no one to look up to when he grew up. Would he be a good dad? What about college? Handling both would be extremely hard. And what if he got accepted to a school far away and he went? He would abandon her.

"I don't know." Frank said truthfully. "In my mind, all three are bad options because they have consequences. There's no right choice, Hazel."

"What about the best choice?" She asked.

"You would hate what I thought would be the best choice." He told her.

"Abortion? You wanted me to get an abortion?" Her voice was raising.

"No! I didn't want you to get one." He said, trying to defend himself. "I thought it would be most logical. If you got an abortion, then we wouldn't have to worry about taking care of a baby. Or what to do if I went away. Or if our relationship doesn't last."

Her eyes wouldn't meet his. They flickered around the room as she tried to calm herself down. But how could he think that having an abortion would solve all their problems? Is this how he solves all of their problems? By getting rid of it?

No. That's not the Frank she knows. The Frank she knows is kind and caring. He would be comforting her through this and not giving her the cold shoulder when the topic of her pregnancy came up. Her Frank would tell her that they could do this. Make it as parents. That's what she wanted to hear not this.

"Hazel? Are you okay?" He asked, reaching out to touch her shoulder. She stiffened under his touch. "Look, I know you don't want an abortion and that's fine. But I don't know what else to do."

She looked him in the eyes. "How about telling me something that is comforting? Like we can get through this or that maybe we should talk to someone for help? But you're telling me that this is a problem and the best way to fix this problem is to get rid of it."

"That's not what I'm saying."

"Then what are you saying, Frank?" Her voice was raised and anger filled her as he clearly showed that he didn't care. "Because I don't know you anymore. I thought you would be comforting me through this. I thought you would be a little supportive even though you're just as scared as I am."

"I'm just thinking logically." He stressed.

"And I'm thinking you should get out." She growled, tears forming in her eyes.

Frank was taken aback. "W-What?"

"Get out!" She shouted, looking directly at him. "I don't want you in my life if you're just going to be an uncaring person. Get out!"

"Hazel-"

"Out!" She was angry through her tears, trying to keep herself mostly together.

He looked at her one last time before standing up before headed for the front door.


	5. Chapter 5

Hazel broke down once Frank left. She cried for over a day, refusing to go to school since she might see him there. Mostly, she just stayed in her room, curled up in her blankets and thinking when she wasn't watching YouTube videos to try to cheer her up.

She looked down at the keyboard as she thought about what Frank said. Abortion. Yes, it might solve their baby problem, but there was going to be a human inside of her. And she would love to be a teen, go to prom with Frank, graduate, go to college. She couldn't do all of that while having a child to worry about.

Everyone at school would know the moment she started showing. They would all treat her differently, looking down on her as a failure to society. Would she have to put her education on hold while she had this baby?

Maybe an abortion would be a better option. She could have a life. No more thinking about the what ifs.

But a baby! A cute little mini Hazel and Frank in the world. The best qualities of the two of them in one person. All the baby clothes that Hazel could dress them in. But the sleepless nights…

She groaned and covered her head. Thinking about all of this was making her head hurt. It also didn't help that she was dehydrated and hungry.

There was a knock on the door and Nico walked in. Sitting down next to her, he said, "It's been a day, Hazel. Isolating yourself won't help the situation."

She poked her head out from under the blankets, looking at her older brother pitifully. Tears stained her cheek and her eyes were pink from crying. "I need water and food." Her voice was hoarse.

"Alright. I'll be right back." Nico left the room, and Hazel could hear him rummaging around in the kitchen. Resting her head in her hands, she groaned. How did she get herself into this mess? The stairs creaked in protest as Nico jogged back upstairs, handing her a bottle of water and a half empty package of saltines when he entered her room.

Hazel sat up when he returned. She ran her hand through her hair, fruitlessly trying to detangle her thick, curly locks. Accepting the items eagerly, she drank the bottle in one sitting and ate all of the square crackers laid out for her.

"Alright, now you have to make sure you eat and drink. You have another life to take care of besides your own." Nico reminded her. "Now, what's wrong?"

"Frank came over today… h-he thought getting an abortion would be best." Her voice was shaky. "I don't agree but now I see his side of it and I don't know what to do." She hiccuped.

He moved over and wrapped his arm around her. "What do you think is best for you?"

"I-I don't know anymore."

Frank was lying in bed, thinking about the past couple of days. He hadn't seen Hazel anywhere at school today. That was worrying to him. She never missed school unless she was really sick. Was her morning sickness that bad already?

But she hadn't answered his texts. He was concerned, but they were in a fight, so he wasn't too worried.

The fight. That stupid fight. He should have kept his mouth shut and did whatever she wanted. Adoption or keep the baby. Two options that he didn't like. But he knew those were the only acceptable options to her.

How could she give up her future so easily? They had their whole life ahead of them. They had college to get through, Frank would be possibly moving away for college, and Hazel would stay and take care of the baby by herself.

There was also the way that people were going to see Hazel. He couldn't sit back and watch as people judged her. Like it was all her fault that she got pregnant and her life would be ruined because of one mistake that neither of them knew about. It was messed up.

He wanted to see Hazel happy, that was the biggest thing. The minute he suggested abortion, he watched her shatter as he suggested the one thing that went against everything she wanted. It's her body, and he knew he shouldn't have said anything. But of course, he just had to go and say something stupid. Bringing up abortion was probably the worse thing that he could've said.

Adoption was not a bad option, and Hazel approved of the idea already. They could go on with their lives once the baby was born, and the child would have better opportunities than he and Hazel could offer. He could go along with an adoption if she could. He just felt that he was too young to be a dad.

Now, the only obstacle left was to tell his grandma. He was terrified of telling her since it was quite likely she would actually kill him. Getting a fifteen year old girl pregnant?! What would she think? And how fast could he get rid of all the weapons in the house?

He learned nothing in class that day. He passed through his classes, his anxiety clouding everything else out. He hoped to have a few minutes to think when he got home, but when he entered the house, she was right there.

"How was school?" She asked.

"Uh - good." He replied, dropping his bag by the stairs. He walked to the couch and sat down next to her. "Grandma, I got something to talk to you about."

"Are you failing?" She accused, glaring at him.

"No! No. Um, it's something else." He said. "You remember my girlfriend? Hazel."

"Yes," She replied, smiling slightly. "Lovely girl. Good morals."

Frank gathered himself, mustering the strength to tell her what happened. He needed someone to talk to at home and he didn't have that many options.

"Well, uh, she's pregnant." He mumbled.

"What was that?" Her voice harden and eyes narrowed at him. "Did I just hear that you got a girl pregnant?"

He nodded, not looking at her. The next thing he knew, she slapped him upside the head.

"How could you be so careless Fai! This girl is only fifteen and you're seventeen!"

"I know! I know! It was an accident! We thought we were careful and didn't know that the condom we were using was defective." Everything started to spill out after that. How the two of them already talked and what they individually thought the ideal situation would be.

By the end of it, he was exhausted and wondering what his grandma thought of the whole thing. Was she going to be helpful or was she going to kick him out on the street? He desperately hoped for the former.


	6. Chapter 6

Hazel went back to school after three days. It had been the three most stressful days of her life. One of the days she stayed home, she went to the doctor to make sure she was actually pregnant and not just stressing herself out. She was, in fact, pregnant.

That morning, she made a beeline to her locker and tried to focus. She didn't need to look for Frank. She didn't need the morning ritual, she didn't need to give him a kiss as he leaned against the locker next to hers. All she needed to do was grab her books and go to her first class.

But that was a luxury that even she couldn't afford.

Frank spotted her from down the hall and started walking towards her. If she could, she would've just turned and walked in the other direction, but her class was on the other side of the hallway. Right where Frank was. Now, she just wished one of her friends would show up and chat with her.

Apparently the universe hated her, because Frank walked right up to her. He looked a bit off since the last time she last saw him. His hair was messed up, as if he hadn't even tried to fix his bed head this morning. His clothes were wrinkled and the bags under his eyes were so dark, they were beginning to look like he had a black eye.

"Hey." Frank greeted her. "H-How are you doing?"

"Fine." She said curtly, as if she hasn't been out for the past few days.

"Do you think we could, uh, talk before homeroom?" He asked, his eyes pleading.

"I-" Hazel started before Nico walked right up to them.

Nico was furious. He was giving Frank his "you're dead to me" look, something Hazel never wanted to be on the receiving end of.

"Stay away from my sister." Nico growled. "I swear to every god I will hurt you if you touch her again, you no good piece of shit."

"Nico!" Hazel said warningly, looking at her brother. "He just wanted to talk. And the two of us need to talk anyways about...you know."

Nico looked at Hazel's pleading eyes before softening his glare a little. Then he looked at Frank, who looked terrified. In Nico's mind that was a good thing, having the older boy scared of him. "Fine. But if he lays a hand on you-"

"We'll be okay." Hazel promised.

Nico backed away a bit, looking at the two of them. His eyes were glued to Frank.

She turned her attention to Frank who seemed a bit freaked out. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, but he looked like he's seen a ghost.

"Um, so talking about stuff?" Hazel asked, trying to get him to focus.

"Yeah! Uh, maybe during lunch in our usual place?" He asked. That meant the big tree in the center of the courtyard.

She nodded as the warning bell rang. "I'll see you then."

Frank smiled gently at her as she quickly walked away. His eyes followed her as he reflected on the past few days without her. Just seeing her brought some joy. But the new burns on his thighs told other stories of how the past three days were.

* * *

Lunch was supposed to be the time to take a break and enjoy socializing with friends. A good time to catch up on what people were doing this weekend and what they did the previous weekend. But she could tell, this lunch was going to be depressing.

How could one spend some of the most relaxing minutes of the day talking about what to do about another life?

Hazel and Frank leaned against the tree as they picked at their lunch, trying not to start the conversation. But they needed to talk. They needed to discuss their child's future.

Frank looked at Hazel, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry about bringing up having an abortion when you told me that that wasn't the option for you."

"I thought about what you said and I can see your point. Maybe it's a good option." She said as she picked at her sandwich. "Then if something happens, we don't have to worry about a kid being involved and people won't look down at me when I get bigger."

"But this is your choice, and I'll support you no matter what. If you want to put the baby up for adoption, I'll help find a good family. If you want to keep it, I'll make sure to help you out as much as I can. Even if there's a possibility that we won't be together forever."

She smiled a bit. "Thanks Frank. I really needed to hear that."

He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. "My grandma helped me realize what I told you was wrong. That I should man up and take control of something I caused. She said it a lot meaner than that, but she's right."

Hazel backed up a bit and looked at him. "Well?" She paused. He looked at her, confused. "I mean," she quickly clarified, "Do you support me? In either decision?"

"Yes. I promise I'll back you up in either decision that you make." He promised. "Because, well, I love you, Hazel. And I want to see you happy."

She smiled and shifted towards him. Her head leaned against his shoulder and she sighed. At least now she had a bit more time to decide what to do about the baby.


	7. Chapter 7

Being pregnant sucked. Hazel felt nauseous every morning when she woke up. Her dad would come and check in on her, worried that she might have the flu. But every morning, she would tell him some excuse and that she'd be fine by the time she left for school. She felt horrible, lying to him. He took her in when she needed him the most. She had to tell him.

Hazel got to school, still feeling queasy. Her morning sickness didn't come at it's usual time today, and while she appreciated not puking at 4 am, this was comparatively worse. She leaned against her locker, trying to even out her breathing. There was no way she was going to puke in school, not if she could help it. Going home wasn't an option. She had a test and a quiz today.

Frank walked over to her and wrapped his arm around her waist. He leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"Don't touch me!" She growled and shoved him away.

"Whoa." He said, holding both hands up next to his head as if he was trying to say, 'I didn't mean to'. "You feeling okay?"

"No. I'm gonna puke." She grumped. "I also feel like crap."

He rubbed her back, trying to make her feel a little bit better, but she moved away. Frank hasn't seen her like this at all. At school, she seemed fine and ready to take on the day. But today was totally different. Her attitude gave off a "don't-mess-with-me-or-I'll-punch-you" vibe.

"Maybe you should go home. If you feel awful, then you should get some rest." He told her. "Missing a day of school isn't that bad."

"I can't miss school for morning sickness. It's going to pass soon." She told him. "I just have to puke and wait it out."

Frank looked at her confused. If the answer was so obvious, then why hasn't she done that already?

"If I puke, they'll send me home." She sighed, slightly annoyed. "I can't go home. I haven't told my dad about...you know."

"You haven't told your dad about it?"

"I can't tell him." She said, her eyes going to him. "He's going to flip and probably kill you. I can't have him kill you."

Frank looked down at her. He leaned down and backed away at the last moment, not wanting to be rejected again. "You need to tell him. We can tell him tonight if you want."

"Fine. But I need the bathroom." She turned away and hurried off to the bathroom, trying to keep herself composed before she threw everything up.

Hazel sat in study hall, trying to focus on work. But her mouth still tasted like vomit from this morning. She had to get through her quiz with the vomit breath. Ugh. Luckily, she didn't talk too much today.

She heard the scraping of a chair against the floor to her right as someone sat down. She looked over and saw her friend, Annabeth. They played softball together both recreationally and for the school. Annabeth was a senior, like Frank, and probably valedictorian of her class.

"Hey Hazel." Annabeth smiled. "How are you doing? I haven't seen you in like a week."

"Hi. Do you have gum?" She asked, trying to not face Annabeth. She didn't want her to breathe vomit all over her.

Annabeth opened the front pocket of her backpack and rifled through it until she found a pack. She took out a piece and gave it to Hazel who quickly opened the wrapper and put the piece in her mouth.

"Thanks. I'm okay. I was just sick a few days last week but I'm feeling better." Hazel replied.

"That's good." She smiled. "So, some of the girls and I were thinking of playing a fun softball game this weekend. Do you think you can come?"

"Oh, uh, I don't know." Hazel stammered. "I got to see what I'm doing this weekend."

"Okay. Just text me by Friday night." Annabeth told her. "How are you and Frank? Everything between you two okay?"

"Yeah. We're fine. Why? Did he say something to Percy?" Hazel's heart was beating in her hears. Did Frank tell people what was going on between them? Maybe they noticed how weird he was when Hazel wasn't at school and they had that little fight.

"Percy just noticed that Frank wasn't himself for a few days last week. He didn't tell us why but I guess now I know. He wanted to be with you when you were sick." Annabeth smiled. "That's so sweet of him."

"Uh, yeah." Hazel blushed. She was slightly glad that that was the only reason why Percy was worried.

"You two are very cute. Did Frank bring you over soup and tissues and stuff?" She asked. Her and Percy were dating and probably the cutest couple in the senior class. Percy was the hottest guy in their class and every girl wanted to date him. But him and Annabeth were perfect for each other. She was his impulse control and he kept her grounded to reality and not the books.

"Yeah. He did all that stuff." She said, trying to keep up her lie. "He brought me a little stuffed horse to make me feel better."

"That is so sweet." She smiled. "Percy does the same thing. I think I have, like, ten get better stuffed animals. I told him to stop otherwise I won't have enough room on my bed to sleep."

"Yeah, I should tell Frank the same." She forced a chuckle.

Hazel felt bad. She absolutely hated lying but she couldn't tell Annabeth that she was pregnant. She didn't want to look down on by one of her friends for a mistake that her and Frank made. This secret can only be kept for so long. Then there was no way of hiding it. The whole situation made her feel queasy. Even not telling her dad made her sick.

Hazel had to start telling the people close to her before they got the wrong idea about what was happening and why she always felt sick. The first person she had to tell was her dad.


	8. Chapter 8

Hazel was terrified as she sat in Frank's passenger seat. She played with her hands as she watched trees, bushes, and other cars go by. Tonight's dinner was going to be difficult. They were going to tell her dad that she was pregnant and hopefully not plan Frank's funeral.

Frank took her hand as he drove. He could tell she was nervous, playing with her hands was a big sign of that. "It's going to be okay, Hazel."

She nodded and looked at him. There was worry in his face as he drove. The crinkle in his forehead as he concentrated on driving and thought about the night ahead of them. She didn't like seeing him like this, stressed and worried. She should have told her dad on her own. She was a coward.

Frank parked his car in front of the house. Nico's car wasn't there, which calmed Hazel a bit; at least they had some time to talk about how they were going to tell her dad. Frank helped her out of the car before taking her hand and locking the doors. He could tell that she was still worried about what to come.

"So, have you met the guy Nico keeps hanging out with?" Frank asked, trying to strike up a conversation. "He's been hanging out with him a lot."

"Not yet. Nico said he was going to introduce me to him this weekend." She replied.

"Do you think that they're more than just friends?" He asked. "Like, he has a crush on him?"

Hazel looked at him like he was crazy. "What? No, Nico would have told me. We tell each other everything. If he had a crush on his friend, he would tell me."

"Maybe he's not comfortable telling people about it." He replied. "Maybe he's just keeping it a secret."

"Can we stop talking about this? I don't want to make accusations of my brother before he tells me." She said before opening the door. "We need to figure out how to tell my dad that I'm pregnant."

They walked inside and took off their shoes, pushing them against the wall and out of the hallway. Walking to the couch, they were both silent as they thought about a way to tell her dad. Sitting down, Frank put his arm around Hazel's shoulders. Just sitting like that relaxed Hazel a tiny bit knowing that he was there.

"We should just straight up tell him." Frank said. "I did that with my grandma."

"How did she react?"

"Well, she was mad at first but then asked me about what I was going to do. What we were planning to do." He told her.

"You do realize, my dad can kill you. He has a gun around here somewhere." She warned him. "He won't tell me where but he has one."

"Thank for the warning." He groaned.

Hades brought pizza home for dinner that night. He came home late from work and wasn't in the mood to cook. That happened a lot for Hazel and Nico. They would have take out for dinner or they would go to a restaurant. Nico would cook sometimes, but lately he's been at his friend's place.

Frank kept playing with his napkin as they ate. He was nervous to start talking about Hazel's pregnancy. It wasn't something he wanted to bring up, now that he knows that Hades has a gun. He prayed that he would live to see the birth of his child.

Once the pizza was eaten and gone, Nico cleared the table. Hades looked at Frank skeptically since he was still playing with a greasy napkin.

"Are you alright Frank?" Hades asked. "Your hands are going to get even greasier if you keep playing with your napkin."

Frank looked at his napkin and got up to throw it out. He washed his hands and went back to Hazel who was talking to her dad about her day. He sat back down and kept rubbing the palms of his hands on his jeans. This conversation just had to start.

"Sir, um, Hazel and I need to tell you something." Frank couldn't even meet his gaze. He looked slightly to the right of his face.

"What is it?" Hades asked.

"Dad...I…" Hazel stumbled. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before the words started to rush out. "I'm pregnant and Frank's the father. We know it was a mistake and we accept full responsibility of our actions. We don't know if we want to put it up for adoption or keep it but that's all we have thought about up to this point."

Hades stared at the two teenagers in front of him, unable to close his mouth. His eyes wandered from his daughter to Frank. All of Hazel's behaviors in the past few weeks started to make sense to him.

Finally, Hades' eyes landed on Frank, hardening into a glare. He looked at the boy who got his baby girl pregnant, having the urge to get his gun from his bedroom to scare him.

"S-Sir, I know you're furious at us...at me. I won't abandon your daughter. I love her and want do anything I can to help Hazel through this." Frank was trying to keep calm through his rapidly beating heart.

"Dad, we have thought about this a lot. We want your support and help through all of this." Hazel looked at her father in the eyes. She tried to pull the puppy dog eyes on him so he wouldn't be so mean to Frank.

Hades blinked and sighed. His hand went through his hair as he looked at the teenagers. "I will support you through this because you are my daughter. I'm not happy about this, but I want to help."

Hazel smiled a bit. "Thank you dad."

"Frank, I suggest you go." Hades told him. "Before I follow my emotions and get my gun."

Frank quickly got up and kissed Hazel's cheek before rushing to the door. He was glad this was over but there were eight months until this baby was born and it was going to be long.


	9. Chapter 9

Hazel felt her stomach as she sat in study hall. At two months pregnant, it was starting to show just a little bit. She had an appointment with her doctor this weekend to check on the baby and hear the heartbeat. It was probably the most exciting and scariest thing she's going to experience so far.

Her mind was getting wrapped around hearing her child's heartbeat that she didn't notice Annabeth pull up a chair next to her. Her blonde hair was tied up in a neat bun as she looked at her friend with concern.

"Feeling sick?" Annabeth asked.

"Huh?" Hazel questioned before realizing that she was rubbing her stomach absentmindedly. She moved her hand and tried to focus on her homework.

"You're rubbing your stomach."

"Oh, no. I'm fine." Hazel told her. "I'm just thinking."

"You think while rubbing your stomach?" Annabeth questioned. "That's new. Oh, we are going to have a softball game this weekend, want to join us?"

"Oh, I can't." Hazel replied. "I've got things to do this weekend."

Annabeth looked at her, as if she was trying to figure out a puzzle. Hazel has only seen that face when Annabeth was trying to figure out what kind of pitch to throw.

"What?" Hazel asked.

"Tell me what's going on. Every time I asked you to come play softball, you made an excuse. Last time you told me that you were going to your grandmother's but when I drove by your house, Frank was walking in. The time before that, you said you were busy but when I asked what you did that weekend you said nothing." Annabeth explained. "Hazel, you know you can tell me anything."

Hazel wasn't sure if she wanted to tell Annabeth the truth. First of all, it was bad luck to tell people that she was pregnant before the end of the first trimester. Well, her and Frank already ruined that by telling their guardians and Nico. Second, what if Annabeth saw her differently after she told her? Their friendship would be ruined and she didn't want that. Third, what if she told the whole school? That was a terrifying thought, but Annabeth wouldn't do that. She was the closest friend Hazel had.

"If I tell you, do you promise not to tell anyone?" Hazel mumbled so quietly that Annabeth had to lean in to hear her.

"I promise." Annabeth replied in the same tone.

Hazel closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Like a bandaid. "I'm pregnant."

Annabeth stared at her friend in disbelief. Her face was blank as if the computations in her head suddenly didn't make any sense.

"Annabeth, please don't tell anyone. Please, please, please." Hazel begged. "Frank and I haven't told anyone except family and we-"

"You have my support." Annabeth said.

"What?" Hazel asked, confused and surprised that Annabeth said that.

"You have my support. Hazel, you're my friend and you're going to need help through all of this. And I'm really excited that you told me." Annabeth smiled. "Have you gone to the doctor?"

"Yeah. We're going again this weekend for a checkup." Hazel said, continuing their talk in hushed tones. "We get to hear the heartbeat."

"That's so exciting!" Annabeth smiled.

"I know. I can't wait." Hazel smiled. "It's also nerve wracking. I can't believe something is growing in me."

"You need to tell me how it goes." Annabeth said. "And I promise, I won't tell Percy."

Frank and Percy were in the weight room after school. Both of them were keeping in shape for different reasons; Frank for wrestling and Percy for swimming. Frank use to do swimming but archery always got in the way of swimming. He missed it sometimes, but wrestling was still cool.

"How are you and Hazel doing?" Percy asked as Frank got ready to spot him. "Annabeth was talking to her earlier and a bit disappointed that Hazel couldn't play softball this Saturday. Are you planning to go on a date with her this weekend?"

"Yeah. Sorta." He replied. "Haven't gotten all the details figured out yet. But I'm also worried about...messing it up."

"You're going to spend the day with the girl that you love. How could you mess it up?" Percy asked.

"Cause I'm just nervous." Frank replied, not really talking about planning a date anymore. He was thinking much further into the future. The doctor appointment this weekend was scaring him. He was going to hear his child for the first time.

"Dude, you've been with her for over a year. You shouldn't be nervous to go on a date with her. I mean unless you're planning something big. When I took Annabeth to see a Broadway show, I was nervous because I thought we were going to get lost finding the theater." Percy told him. "I'm sure it's going to be fine. You love her and that's all that matters. Now, do you got the bar?"

Frank looked down at his friend who was waiting for him to be there for him so the bar didn't accidentally crush him. He loved Hazel and would always be there for her. He needed to be strong for her and hide his nervousness, especially when she needed him.

"Yeah, I got it." Frank said before he helped him move the bar off the rack.


	10. Chapter 10

Frank thought Hazel would create an earthquake in the doctor's office. She was bouncing her left leg, the leg closest to him, so fast that he was pretty sure that she was going to be the epicenter.

"Hazel, calm down." Frank whispered to her. He took her hand and kissed it. "It's going to be fine."

"Frank, I'm the youngest one here and I could feel their judging eyes." She whispered. "I just want this over with."

Her leg kept bouncing and her right one was starting to shake. She was completely nervous and ready to run out of the waiting room once she was called.

"We'll be called soon. Just give the doctor a few more minutes." He promised. "Just think about what we get to hear today."

"I know." She sighed. "I'm actually nervous right now. This baby is going to make a huge first impression and it doesn't even know it."

Frank smiled at her, being supportive. This whole appointment scared the hell out of him. There was going to be confirmation that a growing human with his DNA had a beating heart. He was possibly just psyching himself out. This was suppose to be an amazing appointment where he got to hear his child for the first time.

But last night, his nerves got the best of him. He just wanted to forget about this appointment for a bit by going to his backyard and shooting some arrows. The calming option whenever he got nervous, hearing the arrows go through the air before striking the targets he set up. Soothing music to his ears.

"I know." Frank replied. "I am too. But we get to experience this together and that's what matters the most, right?"

"Yeah. You're right." Her right leg stopped bouncing. "Thanks for coming with me. I know how freaked out you were about all of this. It's just calming to know that you're still supporting me."

"Of course I would." He replied, shocked that she would say that in the first place. "I love you."

She smiled and leaned on him. Frank felt a bit calmer to have her on him. "I love you too."

The door opened that lead to the examination rooms. "Hazel?" The nurse called.

Hazel and Frank got up from their seats. He took her hand as they walked to the nurse, who was smiling at them. Apparently this didn't shock her at all or if it did, the nurse definitely didn't show it.

"How are you feeling today?" The nurse asked as she opened end examination room door. "Excited? Nauseous?"

"Bit of both." Hazel replied, squeezing Frank's hand.

The nurse gestured to the chair, the leg holders were moved so she could easily sit. The nurse checked her vitals before leaving so Hazel could undress and put a gown on.

"Frank, can you turn around?" Hazel asked.

Frank turned around, looking at a poster of the female organs with different stages of pregnancy. Looking at the section of a two month old baby, he couldn't believe a small thing cause Hazel so much nausea.

"Okay, you can turn around. But can you come up by my head?" She asked, even though she was still sitting up with her ankles crossed.

Frank moved by her head and took her hand. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah. I think so." She smiled.

The door opened and the doctor, Dr. Green, walked in. She was an older doctor, old enough to be either of their mom's. Hazel really liked her from the first visit. She didn't judge her for getting pregnant and was really helpful when she first visit with Nico. Dr. Green just had a calming presence around her.

"Good morning Hazel. How are you feeling today?" Dr. Green asked as she set up for the ultrasound.

"Alright. Dr. Green, this is my boyfriend, Frank. He's the baby's father." Hazel introduced.

"Hi." Frank said, wiping his free hand against his jeans. His other hand was becoming sweaty in Hazel's.

Dr. Green was set and called in a nurse to be there as she moved the leg holders. Hazel placed her feet into them and scooted closer to the edge. Her eyes went to Frank who had a small smile on his face.

Hazel closed her eyes as the wand for the ultrasound went into her. She hated that part. There was always discomfort as the wand first went in. She squeezed Frank's hand at the slight discomfort.

Frank looked down at her worried. "Are you okay?"

"Just some discomfort. I'm fine." Hazel promised. Her eyes went to the doctor. "How's the baby doing?"

"The baby is just fine so far." Dr. Green smiled. "There's going to be some pressure Hazel."

Hazel nodded and closed her eyes as the wand moved. Her eyes were squeezed shut, showing her pain and discomfort. Honestly, she couldn't wait until the doctor could put the gel on her stomach.

"Alright, everything looks good." Dr. Green told them. "Want to hear the heartbeat?"

"Yes please." Hazel grinned. "We've been waiting for this all week."

Dr. Green pressed a button and the room was filled with an irregular thumping sound. She turned the screen around where there was a circle around a small bean. "This is your baby."

Hazel stared at the screen in amazement. Her baby had a heartbeat and she could actually see it. Tears started to fill her eyes as she stared at the screen.

"F-Frank. Frank that's our baby." Her voice, thick from tears. "That's our baby."

"I see." Frank smiled. He's been smiling since he hear the first heartbeat. His nerves and worries were just washed away after that.

Maybe he could be a dad. This appointment had changed his mind on what he wanted to do once it was born. He loved that little bean with everything he had and they haven't even officially met. And to think, a month ago, he didn't want to be part of its life.

"Do you two want a recording of this? To show to your family?" Dr. Green asked.

"Yes please." Hazel choked.

Dr. Green smiled and hit some buttons on the computer. "Your baby is perfectly healthy and so are you. We will schedule an appointment next month."

Hazel bit her lip, so she wouldn't break out in tears, and nodded. She wanted this baby more than anything in the world now. This baby was hers and when she looked at Frank, she could tell that Frank wanted it too.

"Frank, I think I want to keep it." Hazel whispered once the doctor and nurse left. "I'm just so in love with our baby that I can't give it to someone else."

"I know. I don't think I can do that either." Frank told her. "So, we're going to raise a baby together?"

"If you want to. I know you want to go to college-"

"I'll go somewhere nearby. I want to be part of this baby's life." Frank told her. "We can do this. We can figure this out."

She smiled a tiny bit as she bit her lip. Reaching up, she pulled him close to kiss him. That's what she wanted to hear since the first day she told him the news, that they were in this together.


End file.
